Presenters:

Tiah E. McKinney and Arayna Lindsay Yearwood

June 4 & June 7

Professor Shelley D. Wong, Ed.D

EDUC 894: Seminar in Educational Anthropology

Day 1:

Douglas Foley: Author‟s biography

Introduction: Setting the “context”

Key Terminology

Marx – The Communist Manifesto

Critical Race Theory

Emerging Themes

Philosophical Question

Activity

Profile:

Douglas Foley finished his B.A. in history at Northern

Iowa University and his M.A. in anthropology and Ph.D.

in educational anthropology at Stanford University. After

doing fieldwork in the Philippines and Mexico, he

became a specialist in U.S. culture and schools. He has

taught courses on popular culture, social movements,

race relations, and inequality in the U.S. public schools.

He served as co-editor of the Journal of Qualitative

Studies in Education for five years. During his thirty year

career, he has written and edited six books and over

sixty articles and chapters. His most recent

ethnographies are Learning Capitalist Culture Deep in

the Heart of Tejas and the Heartland Chronicles.

Research Interests and Expertise:

American ethnic and race relations, Educational policy

for ethnic minorities

This information was taken from the College of Education - University of Texas website:

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/education/faculty/view.php?ID_PK=68D67ABE-CAF5-24EB-4B1F1817A0F5F18C

“Ethnographers are not simply recording

machines that simply present “facts” that

speak. Ethnographers filter their

experiences through ideas and values that

they use for making these “data” have

meaning. In the end, ethnographic portraits

may say as much about the author as they do

about the people being studied” (p.xix).

“I use several distinct narrative conventions to establish the text‟s authority and truth claims on a different grounds…the language is much closer to ordinary speech than to technical social science discourse. Foley‟s manner of expression is personal and has an authorial voice.

The study shows how schools are sites for popular cultural practices that reproduce social inequalities.

School becomes the institution in which youth perform their future class roles.

Middle class is held as the standard, cultural ideal all others deviate from the norm.

“This ethnography is myself trying to think

critically about my country and how these

youth and I have been shaped” (p.xix)

There is a historical and cultural reality that

we inherit and must critically reflect upon if

we are going to evolve as a species” (p.xix)

What is the kiss of death?

Getting your work labeled as “popularized

accounts” or “passionate ethnographies”

Ethnography is simply a record of the ethnographer‟s experience with

a group of people (Foley, 1990, p. xviii).

Foley refers to ethnographies as “critical interpretive enterprises” (p. 223)

Reproduction “Reproduction refers to the perpetuation or expansion of

a particular kind of society and the production system over time. One can measure the rate of exploitation of labor and the rate of profit that sustains this particular mode of production‟s growth or reproduction” (p. 188).1. Class reproduction

2. Cultural reproduction

Capital Is a collective product, set in motion by the united

society - Marx(ex. money)

Bourgeoisie vs.

Proletariat

Who are the

communists?

What is the “buy in”

according to Marx?

Capital and Capitalists

The Bourgeoisie and the Proletariats Class system – “…oppressor and oppressed, stood

in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight” (p. 58).

Historically, the Bourgeoisie has been revolutionary. “The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society” (p. 63).

Marx stated that “…it creates the world in its own image” (p.65)

The proletariats become the modern working class.

Proletariats are those “who live only so long as

their labor increases capital. These laborers, who

must sell themselves piecemeal, are a commodity,

like every other article of commerce” (p.68).

Industrialization is harmful to proletariats, which

causes many to band together to fight for better

conditions (unions, political organizations, school

board, etc).

Who are the communists?

They are parts of working class parties that push

forward other working class people with a

common aim.

“The immediate aim of the Communists is…the

formation of the proletariat into a class,

overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest

of political power by the proletariat” (p. 81)

*Abolish private property* - property acquired by

labor

Capital and Capitalism

“To be a capitalist, is to have not only a purely

personal, but a social status in production.

Capital is a collective product, and only by the

united action of many members, nay, in the last

resort, only by the united action of all members

of society, can it be set in motion.

Capital is, therefore, not a personal, it is a

social power” (p. 83).

“The racialization of identity and the racial subordination of blacks and Native Americans provided the ideological basis for slavery and conquest. “p. 277

“The origins of property rights in the United States are rooted in racial domination. Even in the early years of the country, it was not the concept of race alone that operated to oppress blacks and Indians; rather, it was the interaction between conceptions of race and property which played a critical role in establishing and maintaining racial and economic subordination” p. 277

“Only white possession and occupation of land was validated and therefore privileged as a basis for property rights. These distinct forms of exploitation each contributed in varying ways of the construction of whiteness as property” (p. 278).

“Property as conceived in the founding era included not only external objects and people‟s relationships to them, but also all of those human rights, liberties, powers, and immunities that are important for human well-being, including freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom from bodily harm, and free and equal opportunities to use personal faculties” (p.280)

“ Whiteness defined the legal status of a

person as a slave or free. White identity

conferred tangible and economically valuable

benefits, and it was jealously guarded as a

valued possess, allowed only to those who

met a strict standard of proof” (p.280)

“The socially prominent youth become adept

at managing their images and manipulating

adult authorities. These new communicative

competencies in the art of deceit prepare

them to be future civic and political leaders.

But as the youth gain materially, perhaps

they lose a little of their humanity. This is

the philosophical question that the study

ultimately raises about our culture” (p. xv).

Material wealth Social Status

After viewing the video clip from “Breakfast

Club”, reflect on your own personal experiences

(either as an educator observer or previous

experience as a student) to discuss your personal

accounts of what Foley identifies as “cultural

reproduction”. (10 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkX8J-FKndE

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=SWSrfAY4fg

Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1I4q6lOpo

Summary of main points from activity and

presentation

A look ahead to Part II presentation

Read assigned chapters

In addition to chapter reading, a brief

assignment:

Consider thoughtfully ways in which

schools/educators can cultivate positive

identities or identify current initiatives that

promote positive identities for all students,

especially students of communities of color.

Day 2

Doug Foley

Main Points from Day 1

Marx revisited

Ideology

Superstructure

A Question: Constructing a Class Structure

Brief Introduction – North Town

A Chapter-by-Chapter analysis of Learning Capitalist Culture: Deep in the Heart of Tejas

Class Participation and Discussion

Activity: What are some solutions?

Class Participation and Discussion

Conclusion/ Summary of Main Points

After finishing college and the Peace Corps, Foley began to critique capitalist culture.

“…I had been a „foreign teacher‟ in a system riddled with class, gender, and racial privilege. That experience left me believing that the mother country‟s own school system may be more like its colonial arm that I had realized. The idea that American public education was meritocracy that provided equal opportunity to all now seemed politically naïve” (Foley, 2009, p. 175).

This information was taken from the College of Education - University of Texas website:

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/education/faculty/view.php?ID_PK=68D67ABE-CAF5-24EB-4B1F1817A0F5F18C

“Ethnographers are not simply recording

machines that simply present “facts” that

speak. Ethnographers filter their

experiences through ideas and values that

they use for making these “data” have

meaning. In the end, ethnographic portraits

may say as much about the author as they do

about the people being studied” (p.xix).

The study shows how schools are sites for

popular cultural practices that reproduce

social inequalities.

School becomes the institution in which

youth perform their future class roles.

Middle class is held as the standard, cultural

ideal all others deviate from the norm.

Principles of Marxist and CRT evident in

Ethnography.

Ideology

Marx viewed ideology as

ideas that people could

imagine and create.

These ideologies included

politics, law, religion, etc.

Ideology itself forms part

of the superstructure.

Ruling ideas dictate what

will transpire in societal

institutions. http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/marxism/mo

dules/marxideology.html

Superstructure vs. the

Base

According to Marx, the base

of society is the way people

relate to one another.

A superstructure protects and

reflects the ideas of the base.

It consists of the culture,

institution, power structures,

roles, and rituals of a given

society.

Superstructures can be a

state, legal system, social

institution, or an ideology.

http://www.scienceofsociety.org/philosophy/philosg.bas

e.html

From your readings, professional, and

personal experiences take 5 minutes to write

a reflection on the following question.

Does public education help level status and

economic differences, or does it reproduce and

promote existing status and economic

inequalities? (Foley, 2009, p. 179).

A town in South Texas

Is a small agricultural town, population of

8,000.

Poverty contributes to the worst problems of

North Town.

The community is segregated, there is a old

Mexican town and “well-kept” downtown.

The town once depended heavily on the

national agricultural market, but with

industrialized forms of production farms have

decreased.

La Raza vs. Better Government League

Who controls the school board?

Devaluing contributions - “Our diplomas will become worthless”

Resisting racism – “…any process of cultural change involves ordinary people constructing and reconstructing the meaning of their own history” (p. 16)

The process of legitimization

Liberal dress code

Discipline was reorganized

Class placement and evaluation

Limit expressions of Mexican American Culture

The Pep Rally: A reproduction of gender roles “Community sports was the patriotic, neighborly thing to do”

(p. 29).

The Cheerleaders

The Band “filled with students who tended to come from more affluent

families and have better academic records” (p.31).

The Booster Club Connecting the community leaders with the coach

Football Team An agent that socializes young men and maintains the status

quo (“studs”)

Powder-Puff Football Game: Ritual inversion Gender roles re-examined

Other Males “Vatos”, “farm kids,” “nobodies”

Identity vs. Status

“The dominant cultural ethic was to work hard and be successful, which earned you the right to some serious fun and recreation. This cultural ideal was, of course, practiced discreetly, while also being a good family man/woman” (p.66).

Having a car was hip, it allowed men to “cruise around and pick up chicks.”

Friendship

Dating = friendship, everyone else are people you hang out with.

Intimate Relationships provide emotional and social stability.

Intimate relationships: Silent majority

“„Nobodies‟ and „homeboys/girls‟ were freer to develop intimate friendships than the more success-oriented kids were” (p. 78).

Perceptions

“The majority, who had negative or no particular group social identities, became the audience for the stars who enacted American popular culture ideals…They learned to take their place as followers in the lower echelons of the status hierarchy. They learned to live quiet, discreet social lives that would prepare them for the hard-working great silent majority” (p. 99).

School life

“school was football games, band practices, flirting with girls/boys, hassling teachers, and hanging out with friends. It was also boring lessons, scary tests, and “nerdy”, “picky”, “know-it-all” teachers” (p.101)

Race relations and racism in Classrooms

“the contrast between the teacher‟s favorites sitting up front asking phony questions and the vatos dozing off in the back drew a racial line through this scene” (p.106)

“Teachers generally made few attempts to alter the racial and class segregation in classrooms and in student activities” (p.102)

“such comments, which implied that “dumb, lazy, welfare-cheating Mexicans” ought to “shape up or get out” were not uncommon. (p.106)

Negotiation of academic work: The Making Out Game

“the making out games students played with teachers usually had the objective of getting the best grades possible for the least amount of work”

Make out games varied with teacher‟s pedagogical style,

“Good old boy/girl style”, “streetwise dude”, “straight”

Classroom rituals emphasized class privileges and practiced roles

able to trace whereabouts for 454 of the 500 students, by checking and cross checking

No surprises about who succeeded educationally and economically. “more upper middle and middle class youth finished college (47% vs.

5%) and received middle class jobs (44% vs. 5%) than working class youth”

“more youth from lower middle class stable families finished college (21% vs. 5%) and got middle class jobs (24% vs. 5%) than did working class”

Role of student status groups in social mobility social identity was proportional to completion of college and to attainment of professional white collar job.

Beyond disunity and miscommunication Story of Dante Aguila, band director, focused on excellence rather than

personal glory and power. “result has been a blossoming and harmonizing of youthful talents”. The band has a spirit of community.

“We must find a way to unleash these people and to build a way of life that does not destroy our humanity” (p.158)

What do the liberal educational philosophers think? Public school is a place that promotes citizenry.

Public schools are meritocratic institutions.

What do sociologists think are the factors that reproduce, not reduce class inequality? Local elite

Family class background

Differential community tax bases

Elite school board make up

Neoliberal curriculum and pedagogical practices

Several examples from Foley:

1. The school board (who controls the board

makes the rules)

2. class placement – 50% of Mexicans were in

“practical classes”

3. Family background

4. Sports - members

5. The band

6. Curriculum and pedagogy – teachers

7. Segregated community

After a Chapter-by-Chapter analysis of

Learning Capitalist Culture: Deep in the

Heart of Tejas, reflect on your own personal

experiences (or provide evidence from cited

research) and discuss what are some

solutions to counteract what Foley identifies

as “cultural reproduction.” Can you think of

any educational policies that need to be

changed or adopted? (15 minutes)

Closing Thoughts

“We must find a way to unleash these

[Dante Aguila] people and to build a way

of life that does not destroy our

humanity” (p.158)

Anyon, J. (1997). Ghetto schooling: A political economy of urban educational reform. New York: Teacher‟s College Press

Foley, D. (1990). Learning capitalist culture: Deep in the heart of Tejas. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1848). The communist manifesto. New York, NY: Pocket Books.

Valenzuela, A. (2001). Subtractive schooling: US – Mexican youth and the politics of caring. New York: State University of New York Press.

Wortham, S. (2006). Learning identity: The joint emergence of social identification and academic learning. Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.

Wrigley, J. (1982). Class politics and public schools. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.

Zinn, H. (2007). A young people’s history of the United States: Class struggle to the war on terror. New York: Seven Stories Press.

Tatum, B. D. (2003). Why are the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria. New York. Basic Books.

Hale, J.E. (2001). Learning while Black: Creating educational excellence for African-American children. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press

Kunjufu. J. (1986).Countering the conspiracy to destroy Black boys, Vol. 4 . Chicago, IL. African American Image.